Desperate Murders
by cassy7
Summary: The lab is in a bind when one member of the team. has a family emergency and another member is injured on the job. Set at the beginning of the show. First of the Unexpected events series
1. Chapter 1

Desperate Murder

Unexpected events part one.

Read what really caused Sara to come to Las Vegas, and what made her stay.

Story is set in first season but does not follow story line in any way.

I do not own anything so don't come after me. I don't make any money off any of my stories.

I am not grammar perfect and I do not have a beta writer so there are probably a bunch of misspellings. Sorry

I was really unhappy with how I was writing my first CSI story so I took it down and wrote it my own way. I plan to do a series type thing like I am doing with my other fics.

Happy reading.


	2. I need you

"Sara Sidle please." Gil Grissom spoke into the phone. Waiting for her to answer the inquiry his fingers played with the dried remains of a cockroach lying on his desk.

"Hello." A somewhat breathless voice answered, causing Grissom's gut to clench.

"Sara, it's Grissom." He said a little stiffly.

"Grissom?" She questioned in surprise.

He could hear her dropping into a chair on the other end of the line. "Yea, um, how's everything going in San Francisco?" He asked as he shifted papers on his desk in nervousness.

"It's fine." She answered in confusion. "Grissom, why are you calling me? And at work?"

"Oh, it's the only way I knew to get a hold of you. I don't have any of your numbers." He said stumbling over his words.

"But why did you want me in the first place?" She questioned again.

Grissom blushed; glad he was in the privacy of his office. "I wanted to offer you a job."

He could picture her biting her biting her lip on the other end. "Do you think that's wise?" She asked. "Given our history?"

"I need you." He answered simply.

There was a long pause. He went on to explain the situation before she could make a decision. "Warrick, one of my best guys, was injured a last night while on the job. The cop clearing the scene got sloppy and Warrick was shot."

"Is he okay?" She asked when he became silent.

"Yes, he got lucky. But he's out of work for at least a month and we were already one person short. I'm desperate here Sara."

She sighed over the phone line. "I have a lot of vacation time stored up. I could probably take some leave and give you a trial run."

"I would really appreciate it." He said before hanging up. Rubbing his head he stared off into the distance.

Other parts of the lab.

"Hey Greggo. Catch." Nick yelled as he threw a nerf ball back across the lab and into the doorway of the DNA room.

"And it's a perfect catch." Greg cheered as he leaped up to catch the ball. Landing off balance he crashed into the side of his workbench causing various tubes to rattle ominously. "Whoa." He said holding his breath until everything stopped shaking.

"Dude, give it up and admit that I'm the better player." Nick said as he walked into the DNA lab. "I'm more athletic." He taunted as he grinned at the younger man.

"Believe what you want. I'm better with the ladies." Greg said smugly as he tossed the ball back.

"Only in your dreams pal." Nick responded as he lobbed a high pass.

"Ah, but those are such sweet dreams." Laughing he attempted a side pass, groaning when the ball slammed into a beaker of clear liquid, causing it to shatter.

"I really hope that wasn't evidence." A deep voice spoke from behind him.

Greg winced as he turned around to see Grissom standing in the opposite doorway with his arms folded. "Hey Grissom. I was just taking a little break."

"Well next time you take a break, take it outside the lab." The old man advised.

"Ease off him boss. It was mostly my fault. I threw the ball to him in the first place." Nick called from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

"I am aware of that Nicky." Grissom said, sending him a long look. Turning back to Greg he addressed the younger man. "Let me know the minute you have the DNA report on the Headrick murder."

"Sorry man." Nick sent Greg an apologetic look before turning to follow his supervisor.

Greg grimaced as he looked down at the mess in front of him. "Smart Greg. Real smart." He said as he donned big rubber gloves to clean it up. Bending down he stared at the yellow monstrosities in speculation. Standing up he looked around before pulling them off and sliding them on his feet.

Catherine came to the door to see the goofy lab tech walking around the lab with his arms folded and flapping. "Were you just quacking?" She asked.

Greg grinned. "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, guess it is a duck." He showed her his yellow feet.

"I suggest Donald duck gets back to his work before he's having to ask scrooge for a loan." She advised before walking away.

"Hey, good one." She heard him call out.

Shaking her head she walked into the CSI lounge where she greeted the other two members of the team. "Seems quiet in here with just us." She observed.

"I've talked to a friend of mine and she will be down by the end of the week. She has agreed to help us out for a while." He smiled briefly at the thought. "In the meantime the rest of us will be working twice as hard to keep up with the work load. As day shift is stretched to the max as well all overtime has been approved."

"Uh, Grissom. Did you forget that I'm in court all week? On the big movie star case. Not only is it widely publized, but it's already been delayed three times. There's nothing we can do at this point." Cath pointed out as she helped herself to some coffee.

Grissom closed his eyes. "That's this week?" He asked in despair.

"I put it on your calendar." Cath reminded him.

"Okay, Nicky we have three open cases including the one Warrick was working on. We'll just have to divide our time between the cases and hope nothing big comes up."

Nick spoke up for the first time. "I spoke to Warrick before I came in. He's bummed about being out of work and wants to help. He could do some lab work even with the bum arm." He pointed out.

Grissom shook his head. "Maybe next week. He just got shot last night. He's going to need his pain medicine and he can't work on cases with narcotics in his system."

"If we get a break from court I'll run over and check on him." Catherine offered.

San Francisco

Sara Sidle laid her head on her desk and moaned. She thought about banging her head a couple of times to see if there were any rocks in there.

"Are you okay?" A coworker asked as she walked past.

Sara raised her head an inch. "What is it about certain men. No matter how bad they treat you all they have to do is snap their fingers and we go running." She asked in disgust.

Waving her coworker off she gathered her resolve and headed towards her supervisor's office. "Sir," She started once she had gained his attention. "I need to take some vacation time. I have a family emergency."

"Family emergency?" He grumbled in his gruff voice. "I suppose you'd want to be leaving right away."

"Well he's the closest thing to family I have." She admitted.

"Must be serious." He said peering at her over the top of his glasses. "In the entire time you've worked here you have never taken a day off that wasn't forced."

She shrugged in embarrassment. "I like my job." She forced a smile.

He gave her a baleful stare. "Here are the forms you need to fill out. Give your current cases to Beasley, he's pretty clear right now. Come back as fast as you can." He said handing her a sheaf of papers before turning back to his computer.

She walked back to her desk, staring at the papers in her hand. Deep in her own thoughts she didn't pay any attention to where she was going.

"Hey, Sara, going somewhere?" A male coworker asked as he leaned in to gaze at the papers in her hand.

"I have a family emergency." She responded managing not to wince at the lie.

"I didn't think the frigid Sara had a family." He sneered.

Sara's smile was sharp as she slammed the papers onto her desk. "That's a bad habit you have, insulting women who've turn you down." She responded snidely.

"Bitch." He snarled as his eyes darkened. He took a step toward her, his hands balled into fists.

Sara braced herself for the blow, her hand hovering over her gun. "I'll shoot you." She warned.

"Hey Jeffrey." A voice called over the cubicles, startling them both. "Are you coming?"

"Be glad you're leaving." He warned. He smirked at her as he walked out the door.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding she slumped into her chair. "And to think I didn't want to go." She murmured shakily. Sitting down she started on the paperwork.

Later she tracked down the coworker to off load her two current cases.

"Damn Sara, it must be killing you to give up cases." Beasley teased as he accepted the work discs from her.

She shrugged sadly. "Don't worry Beasley. Even you can solve these. The Bennister case is just waiting for the final DNA analysis. Prelim is pointing to the prime suspect who is in lock up. Lonestine is being picked up by the police. He rebutted and they had to give chase. They're holding him in McMinn County tonight and will be bring him in the morning. You'll need to pitch the evidence to the PA." She handed him a piece of paper. "I already have a statement typed up. All you have to do is read it." She gave him a wide smile.

"Very funny. Now get moving kid." The older man said laughing.

Sara was grinning as she grabbed her bag and walked out the door. Turing a corner she began the two-mile walk to her apartment. Ignoring the neighbors who were enjoying the late afternoon sunshine she walked through the front door and up the three flights of stairs.

"Hello dear. You're home early today." Her elderly neighbor observed as she came out her door.

Sara just nodded and slipped through her door leaving the old lady shaking her head. Glancing at the clock she quickly made calls to the post office to hold her mail, to her landlord to tell him she was laving and the airport to confirm a flight.

She dragged out her suitcase and began stuffing it with clothes. Finished she dragged out a second and stuffed it full of textbooks on forensics. Straightening she glanced around, satisfied with the job and al little sad that her life was wrapped up so quickly. Hearing the beep of the cab she grabbed her bags and walked out the door.


	3. I can't work

The next day.

"Nicky, where are you at on the cases?" Grissom asked as the younger man walked into his office.

Nick held up the folder in his hand. "DNA came back on the Henderson case and the DA has the file." He said chucking the folder in the done box on Grissom's desk. "That one is out of hour hands. DA's call now."

"The autopsy on the double body count in the desert is back. Confirms suicide. Patrol found their car about half a mile from where they were found. I processed the car this morning before I left. Inside I found the chemical they ingested." He tossed that file in the box on top of the first.

"Good work Nicky." Grissom said looking over his notes. "We're waiting on ballistics and trace reports on the Montvale case, the one Warrick was shot working."

"Hey did I hear my name?" A voice came from the doorway. Nick turned around to see a pale and shaky Warrick leaning against the door jam.

"Hey man, should you be out of bed? You don't look too hot." He asked pushing a chair toward the other man.

"You try getting shot and see how you feel." Warrick quipped, trying to pull up a smile. "Besides I'm going out of my mind just sitting around the house." Warrick said as he sank gratefully into the chair.

Grissom frowned. "You should have stayed in the hospital another night." He said his voice full of concern.

Warrick shrugged then grunted when it moved his injured arm. "What's going on with the case?" He asked instead. He shifted his eyes away from the watchful eyes of his boss.

"Warrick, you know I can't allow you to work for at least a week." The older man said.

"I know you're not allowed to let me out in the field but I figured I could at least run computer searches or something."

Grissom was shaking his head when they were interrupted by the sound of conversation coming through the door. "Okay, thank you." Catherine said into her phone before snapping it shut. "Hey Warrick." She greeted him walking over to kiss the top of his head. "How are you feeling?"

'Good enough to work." He replied smiling up at her. "Maybe you could help me convince Grissom to let me come back to work."

"How was court?" Grissom asked from his position behind the desk. Nick covered a laugh at the look Warrick shot the older man.

Catherine huffed out her breath. "They had so many deliberations with the judge they didn't even get to me."

"Welcome to court life baby." Nick quipped.

Grissom frowned. "We had anticipated you being in court for the rest of the week but I was really hoping they would release you early."

"Uh yeah, actually I wanted to talk to you about that." She interrupted him. She looked at Nick and Warrick expectedly. "Um guys." She hinted gesturing for the door.

"You know I think I'm forgetting to do something." Nick said as he jumped up. Offering his hand to help Warrick up they quickly exited the room.

Grissom raised his eyebrows. "Is it that bad?"

She sighed as she slid into a chair. "Let's just say that it's a good thing they didn't call me in court today." She started carefully.

He frowned in confusion. "You prepared for the testimony. Was there a problem with the evidence?" He asked as he shuffled through the papers on his desk.

"It wasn't that. More like I wasn't there." She waited for the explosion.

"As in mentally? Was your mind on something else?" He asked confused.

"No Gil. As in I wasn't there. I had to leave."

"You left court?" Grissom asked in shock. "Without informing me?" He took his glasses off and rubbed his hands over his face. "Why didn't you let someone know you had to leave?"

"It was a family emergency and I rushed out." She explained.

"Catherine it was court. All it would have taken was a phone call."

"You know Gil I was a little bit worried about my daughter." She said hotly.

"Regardless, do you know how many problems this could have caused? The whole case could have been thrown out." He ranted before what she had said sank in. "What's wrong with Lindsey?" He asked in concern.

She scrubbed her hands over her face. "She feel out a tree at school today. Broke her leg and her wrist. They say they're going to do surgery on her leg tomorrow to place pins in the bone."

Grissom remained silent unsure what to say.

"She's scared, will hardly let me out of her sight." Catherine continued. "You know what this means don't you Grissom?"

"What?" He asked unsure what she meant.

"I'm not going to be available for court. You are going to have to go instead." She told him.

"I can't go. That would leave Nick in the field by himself." Grissom protested as he felt his world tilting.

"You can' expect me to be in court tomorrow. My daughter is having surgery." She exclaimed.

He closed his eyes. "Of course not. I'm up against a wall here Catherine and I don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry Gil. I can't help you out this time." She said before leaving.

Grissom resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk. Instead he walked out of his office and headed for the DNA lab.

"Greg, how's your caseload right now?" He asked the younger man after turning down the screeching radio.

Greg shrugged. "There's a couple of samples pending but I'm just basically waiting for them to print out. Why what's up?"

"We are in a state of emergency now." Grissom sighed as he thought about it. "Nick's going to be out in the field alone for a couple of nights. Warrick's out with an injury, Catherine had a family emergency and I have to cover her court cases." He looked at the young man speculatively. "You still wanting to get some field experience?"

Greg's mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you kidding?" He asked holding his breath.

The older man smiled. "No Greg, I am serious. I could really use you."

Greg swallowed hard as he resisted the urge to start dancing around the lab. "Yeah of course."

"I'll make some calls, see if the day shift tech will put in some overtime." He looked sternly at the younger man. "You'll be Nick's assistant only. That means hands off. You take pictures, document finds, but you do not touch anything." He cautioned.

"Oh course." Greg agreed, almost bouncing in joy.

"And the DNA lab comes first. You have to finish any pressing work in here before you can come out and play." Grissom subdued a smile at the antics of the technician.

Greg waited until his boss had walked down the hall before he jumped in the air. "Yes, yes, yes." He shouted doing a wild dance. Losing his balance he fell and hit the floor. Unfazed he continued his zealous antics.

Las Vegas airport

Sara walked off the plane and headed for the nearest pay phone. Digging in her pocket she pulled out the battered piece of paper on which she had written the number Grissom had given her.

Biting her lip she dialed the number, unsurprised when it went straight to his voice mail. "Grissom its Sara. I'm in town. I'm going to get settled and I guess I will get in touch with you tomorrow."

After hanging up she walked to the baggage claim to wait for her bags. Ignoring the advances of an elder man lacking in teeth she pulled the first of her bags off the conveyor belt. Walking around the roving contraction she studied each bag as they circled.

Half an hour later she rose from where she was sitting and made her way to the baggage claim office and filed a missing luggage form.

"Thank you miss. You will receive a call as soon as your bag is found." The young clerk assured her.

Sara smiled in thanks before heading for the taxi stands outside. "The Wexford boarding house please." She requested sliding in the back seat.

Uninterested in the scenery provided by the neon lights she pulled out the forensic journal she had been reading on the plane.

"Here we are miss." The cabbie instructed fifteen minutes later. Passing him some money Sara approached the darkened building. She was relieved to find the office unlocked and someone inside.

"Hello, I'm Sara Sidle. I believe Dr. Grissom called you to set up a room for me?" She asked apprehensively.

The geeky looking clerk looked up from his books. Frowning he turned to rifle through a stack of papers. "You weren't expected for a couple more days." He accused.

"I got an earlier flight. Is that going to be a problem?" She questioned, cursing the bad luck she had been plagued with all day.

The clerk looked up at the board. "No the unit's free. If you could just fill out these forms." He handed her a sheaf of papers. "Emergency contact and all that. Your unit has outside access. Dr Grissom said you would be working unusual hours. It has a mall kitchen attached and a sitting area off the bedroom."

"That's fine." She replied as she slid the completed forms across the counter. "I probably won't be there much."

The Lab

"I don't see why Grissom won't let me work in the lab." Warrick complained as he lounged on the couch in the break room.

"He has his reasons." Nick muttered as he riffled through the refrigerator.

"You sound like you agree with him." The injured man accused.

Nick sighed as he stood up to face his friend. "You just got shot. Your body needs to rest in order to heal."

"I feel fine." Warrick muttered.

"Really? Can you catch this?" Nick asked throwing the other man a can of soda.

Instinctively he reached up to grab the flying can, letting out a yelp of pain when damaged muscles where stretched.

"Sorry man but you need to rest." Nick said sympathetically. "You could always find a hot nurse to help you recuperate." He suggested helpfully.

Grissom looked around as he walked in a few minutes later. "Did Warrick leave?"

Nick nodded. "I convinced him that he would be better off getting a few days more rest."

The older man nodded as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Good. But I'm afraid we have another problem." He filled the younger man in on what had happened.

"I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to have Greg in the field with you. You're going to have enough to do without babysitting."

Nick shrugged. "Nah, I think he'll be a big help."

"Let's just hope nothing big happens." Grissom decided.


	4. Arrival

"Hello, can I help you?" The young female asked as she opened the door.

He grinned as he looked at the baby on her hip. "I think you can." He shook his head as if coming out of a daze. "Sorry let me introduce myself. I am Anthony B Westphalen. I am here to offer you the chance of a lifetime." He smiled charmingly.

"I'm sorry. I'm not buying anything." She said as she attempted to close the door.

"Please, just hear me out." He asked in his refined English accent. "I'm not here to sell you anything but to give you something." She looked doubtful but stayed where she was.

He smiled and opened his briefcase. "I am here to give you the chance to experience paradise." He said showing her the pamphlets he had pulled out.

Interested now she looked at the colorful pictures he presented. "I'm sorry but I don't have the money for this kind of thing."

He smiled engagingly. "Thirty minutes of your time is all that I need to make this happen."

Biting her lip she held the door open.

"I assure you ma'am. You won't regret this." He said as he entered the house.

The Lab

"Hey Nick, I'm ready to get to work." Greg said as he walked into the lounge.

Then why aren't you in the DNA lab?" Nick asked without looking up from the paper he was reading.

"Didn't Grissom talk to you?" The younger man asked as he deflated a little. "I'm going to be your assistant until everything settles down. I get to go out in the field with you and everything.

"Only if I need you and the lab comes first." Nick drawled.

"Jessup's staying overtime so the lab's being taken care of. What do we need to do first?" Greg asked bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Nothing's going on right now. Still waiting on ballistics on the Montvale case and nothing new has come in. Paper's all filed."

"So you mean we have nothing to do?" Greg asked as he flopped into a chair.

"Take advantage of the silence while you can. It won't last long." Nick advised as he sipped his coffee.

Front entrance

"Hi, I'm Sara Sidle. I'm looking for Gil Grissom." She said to the receptionist at the entrance to the Las Vegas crime lab.

"I'm sorry. Dr. Grissom is not available right now. Leave a message and I'll see that he gets it." The receptionist droned.

"You don't seem to understand. I need to talk to him immediately. I'm…" She trailed off as the other woman cut her off.

"Dr. Grissom is not available." She said firmly.

Sara turned away in frustration. Taking a deep breath she twisted back to face the dour faced woman. "Is any of his team available?" She asked in a reasonable voice.

"Nick Stokes is the only one here and I'm afraid he's busy. Leave a message and I'll see that he gets it." The receptionist droned.

Sara gave a half smile. "You don't understand. I really need to talk to him."

"I have told you that it's not possible. If you don't leave right now I'll have to call security to remove you." The receptionist threatened, looking up.

Impatient and frustrated Sara threw up her hands. "Fine." She snarled as she walked around the desk heading for the lab.

"You can't go back there." the receptionist squawked as she shot up form her chair.

Entering the front door Brass looked up at the commotion. He raised his eyebrows at the sight in front of him. "I'll take care of it." He motioned for the girl to sit back down before following Sara.

"Hey, you aren't authorized to be back here." He called out.

"Listen buddy." She started, swinging around. "I need to see Gil Grissom or Nick Stokes." She said defiantly.

Brass pursed his lips. "Sara Sidle?" He inquired, his eyes laughing.

Sara stopped, thrown off her stride. "How did you know?" She asked suspiciously.

"Jim Brass." He introduced himself, holding out his hand. "I'm a good friend of Gil's. He's talked about you."

"Anything good?" She asked dryly.

He shrugged. "Depends on your point of view." He said causing her to laugh. "You look like you've had a long day."

She shoved her hands in her pockets. "I had to fight with the airport to get back the luggage they lost."

"Did you win?" He asked steering her down the hallway.

"Eventually." Her lips twitched. "I'll probably have a hard time getting a flight home though." She waited while he laughed. "Do you know where Grissom is? I haven't been able to get in touch with him since I landed."

Brass nodded. "He had court all day." He opened the door into an office. "I think he had a dinner meeting with the DA tonight."

Sara paused in the doorway. "I take it this is his office?" She asked looking at the jars of specimens.

He turned to view the room. "He's a very strange individual but you've got to love him." He said almost to himself, missing the look that crossed her face.

"He told me that you might be in tonight. I have your pager, your id, and the keys to your Tahoe." He turned to look at her. "How did you get here tonight?"

She shrugged. "Walked." She explained as she accepted the items he handed her.

"Well all our CSI's are issued vehicles so you won't have to do that anymore." He motioned for her to follow him as he led her down the hall.

"Here we are." He said stopping before a room. "This is the DNA lab. Trace lab is down the hall there, ballistics at the back of the building. Layout room is through that door there." He instructed pointing the way to each room. "And this is the lounge. If you're ever looking for anyone this is where they most usually are." He said as he opened the door.

"Gentleman." Brass cleared his throat to catch the attention of the two occupants of the lounge.

The nerf ball hit Nick just under the eye as he turned his attention to the police captain.

"Brass, no distracting me when I'm fixing to catch the ball." He moaned as he rubbed the sore spot. He peered through bleary eyes at the other man. "What do you want anyway?"

Brass smirked. "You can come out Greg. Grissom isn't with me."

Sheepishly Greg stood up from behind the couch. "We aren't supposed to play inside."

"Well I brought you a new playmate." Brass grinned as he introduced Sara.

"Playmate indeed." Greg whistled.

Sara turned to stare at him. "Did you say something?"

"Um no." He answered gulping. He lowered himself back behind the couch.

Nick grinned. "What he meant to say was Welcome. I'm Nick Stokes and that's Greg Sanders. He's our DNA lab rat but we let him out sometimes. We really appreciate the help."

"Thanks." Sara responded as she shook his hand.

"So." He drawled. Brass rolled his eyes as he walked over for a cup of coffee. "Have you had a chance to see any of the town?"

"I just got in last night." She pointed out.

"Maybe I could show you around a little, you know after the team gets back to normal." He offered, sending her his sweetest smile.

"I don't think I'll be in town that long." She said as she turned to  
Brass.

"You bombed that one." Greg said in a loud stage whisper. Sara's lips twitched as she pretended not to hear.

"Do you think Grissom will be stopping by?" She asked the detective.

Brass shrugged. "He's got court early in the morning but her we're talking about Grissom. He practically lives here."

"So you know Grissom pretty well huh?' Greg commented as he through the ball back and forth.

"We go back a long way." She answered vaguely. "So were you tow an item?" He persisted.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief as all four beepers went off.

"419" Nick read.

"That mean the same thing here as it does in San Francisco?" Sara asked.

"Only if it means dead body." Brass replied as he strode out the door.

"Saddle up people." Nick drawled. "That your kit?" He nodded to the black case in her hand. She nodded as she followed the group out the door.

Enroute to crime scene

"Greg would you calm down? You're going to make the Tahoe tip over with all your bouncing." Nick warned as he navigated the busy streets.

"I can't help it. I've been wanting to go out in the field forever." The younger man said as he moved from window to window.

"Well you're making a bad impression on the new girl." Nick advised, throwing Sara a smile.

Her lips twitched in response. "I don't know. I think it's kind of cute."

Nick rolled his eyes as Greg bounced harder on the seat. "Please don't encourage him." He strained to see through the darkness. "What's way do we go?"

"Turn a left at Page Street and go until the road ends." She recited.

"Out in the middle of nowhere." He replied as he pulled into the driveway.

"Where is everyone?" Sara asked as she looked around.

Nick shrugged. "This far out in the desert you get one newbie cop to guard the scene and that's it." He scanned the front of the house. "There he is." He pointed to the doubled over figure on the far side of the porch. "Not much is it?" He said grinning as he climbed out of the car.

Sara pursed her lips as she walked over to the officer. "I'm not trying to be mean but you didn't touch anything did you?"

Nick laughed as he listened to the officer's strangled replay. He raised his eyebrows to his new partner as Brass opened the door. Turning back he observed Greg's horrified expression.

Seeing water begin to form on his friend's white face Nick grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him off the porch.

"Breathe," he instructed as he helped the younger man into a sitting position. Greg dropped his head between his knees as he took gulping breaths.

Sara raised her eyebrows as he came back up the stairs.

"Newbie." He said by way of explanation. Together they walked to the door. Noticing that Brass had not moved they looked in over his shoulder.

"Holy cow. What kind of monsters do you have in this town?" She breathed as they stared at the horror beyond the doorway.


	5. Remembering

So sorry about the long absence. I've had major writer's block. Don't seem to have any inspiration around me lately. The good news is that's it's affecting all my stories, not just this one. Hopefully this will inspire me to write more. Of course some reviews could do that too. Hint hint.

The scene

Looking at the contents of the living room Sara began hearing a sharp ringing in her ears. Knowing the signs she stumbled away from the door, her hand flying to her mouth to keep in the small amount of food she had ingested. Images flashed in front of her eyes of similar scenes, ones that had haunted her for the past four years.

Grim faced Nick joined her at the porch railing where she was taking gulping breaths. "It's not something to be ashamed of." He told her gently.

"I don't know how anyone could look at that and not be sick." She said in horror. She turned to look at the young officer she had harassed on arrival.

"There's a lot more than a crime scene in there." Nick agreed softly. He stared blankly into the darkness.

Sara took one last cleansing breathe as her brain kicked into overdrive. "I saw enough to know he dismantled the victim." She pushed the overlapping images out of her head.

"Skinned for sure." Nick said thinking of the paper thin material he had viewed hanging off the TV. "I saw a clump that looked to be muscle tissue. And there was some kind of string- like stuff hanging off the lamp."

"Tendons, ligaments." She turned to study the open doorway. "He scraped the bones clean."

"I didn't see a whole lot of blood." Greg muttered from the sidewalk below them. He groaned as another wave of nausea hit.

Nick frowned as he stepped back to the doorway. "He's right, there's barely any blood. He didn't do this in there."

"No, it happened in another part of the house and then he decorated every room with pieces of her body like they were Christmas decorations." Sara told them her voice void of any emotion.

Greg looked up at the small white lights hanging off the eves. "Tis the season." He quipped. He leaned weakly against the house.

"He must have been in there for days." Brass commented as he walked up behind them.

"If he was then there's going to be evidence leading us to him." Nick nodded as he spotted the coroner van pull into the driveway.

Sara shook her head. "I don't think it took that long. He's very good at what he does." She said causing Nick to give her a searching look.

"Sorry I'm late." David called as he climbed the porch steps. He took the time to peer curiously at the bent over DNA tech before turning to smile at the new girl.

"Hi, I'm David….." He introduced himself nervously. He held out his hand before realizing it was full of supplies. "Sorry." He mumbled, embarrassed.

Sara smiled softly. "That's okay."

"David this is Sara Sidle from San Francisco. She came down to help us out for awhile." Nick supplied. He looked hard at the other man. "Uh, you haven't eaten anything lately have you?"

David gave the comment serious thought. "Um no. I had Bran flakes for breakfast about two o'clock." He paused. "Oh and a cup of coffee." He added. He looked at the pale faces in front of him. "Is there something I should know about?"

Dinner with DA

"Why are we here Pat?" Grissom asked the district attorney across the expanse of the table.

"I wanted to go over your testimony for tomorrow." Patrick McClean answered as he covered his salad in a vinaigrette dressing.

"But I testified on the evidence today. My part in this trial is done." Gris pointed out, confusion plainly written on his face.

The DA waved his comments away. "I have the right to recall you." He pointed out.

"For what?" The older man demanded. He ignored the plate of food in front of him.

"The jury isn't going our way." Mclean clarified as he smoothed his silk tie. "I can see the way they shift their eyes and won't look at the defendant."

"What do I have to do with that?" The CSI supervisor asked as he tracked the other man's nervous movements.

"I want to place you back on the stand and have you describe the condition of the bodies as you found them."

"I'm not a medical doctor. You would be better served with Doc Robbins." Gris pointed out.

"I can't introduce a new witness at this point." Attorney McClean answered gruffly. He let out a long breath. "I just need you to describe what you saw when you walked in the door."

"I can't do that." Grissom said simply.

"What?" Pat demanded sharply. "You will be on the witness stand, under oath. You have no choice but to testify."

Grissom shrugged. "I can't testify on what I don't know."

The DA rubbed his head. "You're a nice guy Gil, but it can be damn frustrating talking to you."

"I wasn't the investigator on this case Pat. As Supervisor I have the ability to fill in for one of my team in court, but I wasn't at the scene. I can't tell them what I saw." He explained.

Patrick closed his eyes in frustration. "And I don't suppose you would consider reading Catherine's words as if they were your own?" He held up a hand at the other man's look. "It was just a wayward thought. Forget I voiced it."

"I can't afford to stay in court for another day. I need to get back to my team." Grissom sighed as he pushed away from the table.

The DA waited until the older man had left the restaurant before picking up his phone.

"Grissom." The gravelly voice answered.

"I need one more day."

Grissom sighed as he considered throwing his phone out the window of his car. "I don't really have a choice do I?"

"I'm sorry to do this to you Gil. I need you in my office at 8am."

The CSI supervisor snapped his phone shut before looking at his watch. Ten pm. He could spare a couple hours to check on his team before he had to be in the DA's office.

The Scene

"I found a leg bone." Sara called. Picking up a camera she began to photograph it from all angles.

"I found the other one in the bedroom." Nick said as he walked into the kitchen.

"No, Nick you found a tibia. I believe that bone is a femur." A strange male voice observed.

Startled Sara immediately stood up and placed her hands on her gun. Nick smiled as the older man held up a hand. "Sara this is Doc Robbins. He's our medical examiner."

"Sorry." She said as she relaxed. "This has me a little on edge."

"Who wouldn't be?" He answered gruffly. "David called me in. He didn't feel like he has the expertise for something on this scale." He gestured to the containers Greg was bringing into the kitchen. "And I brought more supplies."

"Greg, are you okay being in here?" Sara asked in concern. She watched as the young man gave her a weak smile.

"I'll be okay. All long as I don't think about it." He went to set the container's down on the table.

"Don't put them there." Nick said sharply causing Greg to rear back and almost lose his balance. He glanced down at the table, spotting the large mass of grey mush that was dripping on to the floor.

Seeing his face turn a sickly white Sara hurried to grab the armload from him. "Why don't you go back outside?" She suggested. He nodded weakly as he hurried from the room.

Nick stepped forward to examine the grey substance on the table. "Is that the brain?" He asked in sick fascination. He leaned down to peer more closely at it.

"I would say at least part of it." Doc Robbins agreed as he came up beside the young CSI. "He would have had to have some kind of hand tool with witch to saw through the bone."

"You don't think he could have used something he found around the house? Something he happened on?"

Sara rubbed her head. "He came prepared. Brought with him everything he would have needed to dismantle a body." Nick gave her a searching look as Brass came in the door.

"Have you found all the parts yet?" The older man asked as he looked around the room.

"Everything but the head." Nick answered. He looked back down at the table. "Found what was inside but not the bone itself."

"It's going to take hours for us to bag and tag all the pieces." Sara informed him.

"Well you might have some help. I just got off the phone with Grissom. He'll be here soon." Brass told them as he walked back out the door.

Sara tried to ignore the way her heart speeded up at the news. "I thought you said he was in court all week?" She asked her fellow CSI as she picked up the camera to photograph the mushy substance on the table.

Nick shrugged. "Knowing Grissom he'll stay all night helping and then spend all day in court. I don't think he knows how to sleep." Giving her a smile he left to bag the pieces he had found in the other room.

Sara gave a little smile as she remembered similar times with the CSI supervisor.

"He's told me a lot about you."

Startled out her thoughts Sara looked up in guilty embarrassment. Doc Robbins smiled gently before walking out of the room.

"Get a grip girl. So what if Grissom's going to be here soon. And so what if he's been talking about you. It doesn't mean anything." She lectured herself sternly. She stood there for another minute lecturing her before she picked up her camera and got back to work.

Across town.

Warrick prowled around the living room of his apartment, restlessness making him surly. Walking over to the built in bookcases he pulled out a new Stephen King book he had purchased the week before. Flipping through the pages he growled in disgust and shoved it back onto the shelf.

Wandering across the room he flopped on the couch and picked up the remote. After several minutes he settled on a show of mindless comedy. Settling more comfortably into the couch he reached for the bottle of narcotics sitting on the coffee table. Popping the bottle open he downed that last three. Frowning he threw the now empty bottle onto the coffee table.


	6. Sara knows

Hope you enjoy this one. Happy reading. Thanks for all the support on the last chapter.

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Once more in the main bedroom of the house Nick got down to the business of photographing all pieces of the body that decorated the room. Bending down he took pictures of what looked like an earlobe hanging off the lamp on the nightstand. Feeling his stomach become queasy he allowed his mind to find a more pleasing train of thought.

He grinned at the picture that popped into his mind. The new girl standing in the doorway of the lounge, her long legs encased in form fitting jeans, her tee shirt riding up slightly to expose the smooth skin of her abdomen. Her embarrassment as she followed his gaze down, tugging her jacket closed and glaring at him.

He kept her in his mind as he bagged and tagged the slippery piece of skin, wondering if she had a boyfriend back home. Formulating plans to get her to go out with him he moved on to the next body part, discarding the dirty gloves as he went.

After photographing the cluster of small bones in the open drawer of the nightstand he dragged on a new pair of latex gloves from his kit. Next he took the time to document the placement of the bones before placing the evidence in a clear plastic bag, making sure he documented the evidence seal.

Placing the bag on the growing pile of evidence by the door he turned back to the nightstand, rifling through the drawer for any additional body pieces. "Kleenex, pens, address book." He mumbled to himself as he came upon each item. Satisfied the drawer was clean he moved on to the bed.

Starting at the right sided end of the bed he began a careful search, straining his eyes to see past the complicated pattern of the bedspread. His nose was almost touching the top of the bed as his mind began to wonder again, this time on the relationship between his new partner and his boss. He was concentrating so hard he almost ended up eating the evidence, it blended in so well with the red stripped cover.

Yelping in surprise he jerked back, turning his head as he began gagging. Vaguely he heard the door opening behind him.

"Hey Nicky, you all right in here?" Brass called as he stuck his head around the door.

Nick managed to wave him away as he caught his breath. Relieved the older man had left him alone he picked up his camera, and while breathing slowly through his nose, he rapidly took pictures of the rope of intestine lying on the bed.

"Brass said you might need some help in here." David said as he came through the door.

Nick found his head bobbing up and down. "I think this is more your kind of work than mine." He closed his eyes to the image. "Do me a favor and bag that would you. I've got all I need from it."

David bent down to examine the matter more closely. "I think we would be better served with a container than a bag." He answered thoughtfully.

"Whatever man, just get it out of here." Nick growled as he shoved a pair of gloves at the ME assistant.

"Oh um sure." David hastily donned the gloves, and grabbing a container from near the door, deposited the substance inside.

Nick had turned his back on the sight but could not close his eyes to the sound of the intestines hitting the bottom of the bucket. His stomach rolled as David carried the bucket out the door.

Once again he started examining the bed, this time keeping a careful distance. Reaching the top he noticed something lying on the far pillow. Moving closer he peered down for a better look. Reading the words he leaped back in surprise, looking around a little wildly for an explanation. Realizing how he was acting he laughed uneasily before picking up his camera and shooting several shots of the small piece of paper.

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Greg didn't look up from his spot on the stairs as another car rolled up next to the coroner van. Wrapping his arms around his knees he concentrated on pushing the images from his head. He was ashamed of his weakness and disappointed that he was not cut out for the job of a CSI. Trying not to cry he curled tighter into a ball.

"Greg?" Grissom asked gently as he knelt down in front of the younger man. "Greg?" He repeated in a louder voice. The older gentleman rocked back in shock at the look in the young lab tech's eyes.

"Sorry Grissom." Greg mumbled trying not to break down. "I thought I was going to be okay but the brains…." He trailed off as he began trembling.

Confused Grissom patted the younger man awkwardly on the back. He felt very inadequate in these kinds of situations. He was grateful when Brass chose that moment to come outside.

"Hey kid." He called to Greg. "Why don't you take my car and go get us some coffee?" He offered deciding that the kid could use some time away from the scene.

Greg jumped up too fast and had to sit down as his head began swimming dangerously. Without realizing it Grissom had supported the younger man with his arm. "Easy now." He murmured as Greg stood up again, this time more slowly. Nodding his head to show he was okay he gratefully took the keys and money from the older man and without fanfare quickly drove off.

"He really did pretty good, considering the circumstances." Brass said in response to Grissom's look. "It's bad Gil." He went on to describe the scene. "It's going to take hours to pick up all the pieces."

"The press hasn't got a hold of this?" Grissom asked unnecessarily. He could see that they were the only ones around.

Brass shook his head. "Nah, this far out it'll take a while."

Grissom pursed his lips as he looked up at the front door of the house. "Is Sara holding up alright?" He asked quietly.

"Both her and Nicky have had some moments but they're holding up." Brass said after a few minutes of silence. "She knows what she's doing."

"Of course, I taught her." The CSI supervisor said, allowing a rare smile to keep through.

"She's in the kitchen." Brass nodded is head in the right direction. "I promised I'd get more containers out of the van." He started to walk off.

"Um guys." Nick called as he walked out of the front door. "We got a problem here."

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Warrick shifted nervously as he entered the main lobby of the hospital. Glancing around he spotted the gift shop, now closed, and groaned thinking he should have stopped and picked something up before coming. Shrugging in regret he ambled over to the information desk.

"Can I help you sir?" The older volunteer asked as she took in his disheveled appearance and blood stained sleeve.

Warrick ran his hand over his two day beard, feeling the roughness against his palm. "Um yeah I need the room number for Lindsey Willows."

"I'm sorry sir, visiting hours are over." The volunteer informed him.

"I really need to talk to her mom. Its work related. We um work together."

"I can have the nurse send her down but you can't go up." She said firmly.

Warrick looked at his watch before rubbing his eyes. "No thanks. I don't want to disturb Lindsey." He said walking off. Going outside he looked around, his eyes finding the brightly lit sign announcing emergency. Looking at his arm he headed in that direction.

"What's your complaint?" A harried nurse asked him.

"Um I was shot a couple days a go and I think it's infected." He answered, feeling out the appropriate forms.

He had to wait only half an hour before the doctor was seeing him. "It doesn't look that bad, but I'll get you some antibiotics. How's the pain doing?"

Warrick thought about the empty bottle of vicodin. "Pain's pretty bad. I've been trying to take ibuprofen but it's not taking the edge off."

The doctor nodded. "I'll provide you with something stronger."

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Nick seemed hesitant as he turned to Grissom. "How well do you know Sara?" He asked the older man.

"What's going on Nicky?" Grissom asked in a strained voice. He could feel Brass staring at him curiously while wind seemed to rush through his ears.

Nick pursed his lips as he thought about what he was going to say. "What would you say if I told you I found evidence linking her to the crime?"

"Where did you find this evidence?" Grissom demanded at the same time Brass asked, "What kind of evidence?"

The younger CSI bit his lip as he held up the evidence bag. "I found it on the pillow in the main bedroom." He said almost apologetically.

Brass watched as Grissom jerked the bag out of his employee's hand. The supervisor was silent as he examined the business card inside, his brow furrowed. "This doesn't mean she committed this crime." He said finally.

"Never said it did." Nick assured him. "But she is connected somehow."

Grissom nodded as he looked over at the police detective. "Want me to talk to her?" His friend asked. Grissom sighed as he shook his head. Mentally squaring his shoulders he entered the front door, careful to keep to the outlined footsteps as he made his way to the kitchen.

In the doorway of the small room he stopped and stared as memories assaulted him. Sara eight years ago at Harvard, so serious as she rejected the offers of her classmates to go have fun. Her small smile as he admonished her about being so serious. How her eyebrows had risen at his comments while her smile had widened into her special grin. Later that day walking across campus and having the snowball hit him between his shoulder blades.

Sara turned to see Grissom staring at her with a funny look on his face. "Grissom?' She called perplexed, ignoring the way her heart tripped at the sight of him.

He came out of his trance to see her standing at the sink holding a mutilated heart in her hand. "Where'd you find that?" He asked with out thinking.

"Garbage disposal." She answered sliding it into a container. "I thought you had court?"

He nodded noncommittally as he cleared his throat. "How was your flight?" He asked gruffly.

"Good." She answered peeling off her gloves. She tilted her head at the older man. "Grissom, what's going on?" She asked having always been sensitive to his needs.

"Sara have you ever been to this crime scene before?"

"Let's see, I made a quick stop out here between getting off the plane and the airport losing my luggage." She quipped sarcastically.

"Sara." Grissom growled warningly.

"No, I have never been to this crime scene before arriving here with Nick." She answered dutifully. "Grissom, what's going on?" She asked growing concerned.

He ignored her worried question, concentrating on forging ahead. "Have you at any time tonight entered the master bedroom?"

"No. We started as a group in the living room then I came in here and Nick took the bedroom." She answered her voice turning hard.

"Did you happen to visit Nick at anytime he was in the bedroom?" Grissom asked almost desperately.

"No." She answered in a clipped voice.

Closing his eyes he forged on. "Have you ever seen a crime scene like this before?"

Ignoring his question she asked bluntly. "So I need a lawyer?"

In response he held up the evidence bag. "This was found on the bed." He watched as she turned pale and grabbed for the sink to steady herself. "Sara?" He probed gently.

"He's mocking me." She whispered angrily.

"You know him?" Grissom asked in alarm.

She shook her head. "More like I know of him." She held up her hand when he started to speak. "It's a long story Grissom. Let's finish gathering this evidence." Se said indicating the bloody containers.

"Sara." Grissom began carefully, well aware of her temperament. "I can't let you handle the evidence until you explain to me why your business card was at the scene of the crime." He said holding up the evidence bag once again.

Sara huffed out her breath as she considered her options. "Okay." She said simply.

"Okay?" He asked shocked that she was acting so calmly. One of the things he remembered best about her was her stubbornness.

She nodded. "Let's gather the troops so everyone hears this. I only want to have to say it once." She said heading out of the kitchen.

Soon they were assembled on the porch, Doc sitting in the available chair while Grissom and Brass leaned against the railing with their arms crossed. David and Nick were sprawled along the stairs.

Sara cleared her throat, uncomfortable being the center of attention. "Four years ago we had multiple crime scenes reported during the night and being short staffed I was sent to one on my own. Didn't bother me, I could handle anything." She gave a brittle laugh.

"Nothing could have prepared me for what I found." She indicated the doorway. "He likes to watch. He saw my reaction."

"He calls it in anonymously when he's done. The second time he asked for me personally."

"They let you do to the scene, knowing that's what he wanted?" Nick asked incredibly.

Sara shrugged as she avoided Grissom's gaze. "It was just me and a fellow coworker there at the time. It was my decision to go."

She could feel the older man's gaze boring into her. "The scene was exactly the same down to the placement of the body parts."

"That's how you knew the heart was in the garbage disposal." Sra nodded at Grissom's words.

"Why didn't you say anything when we first arrived?" Nick asked, a hurt look gracing his face.

She shrugged self consciously. "I wanted to be sure before I said anything. And I guess a part of me didn't want to believe it." Out of the corner of her eye she watched Greg drive up.

"How long has this been gong on?" Grissom asked in a quiet voice.

She bit her lip before responding. "Eight cases over four years." She answered quietly. He moved until he was in her line of vision.

"This guy has been targeting you for four years and you haven't called me?" His voice lashed out.

She flinched at the censure in his voice. "It's being handled." She said shrugging.

"So now he's followed you here." Brass spoke up as Grissom stalked to the other side of the porch. Greg stood on the steps in confusion, the coffee forgotten in his hands.

She shook her head. "That's part I don't get. He normally takes three to four days to complete a job. Hw would have had to know I was coming the moment Grissom called." Her eyes widened in horror as the realization sunk in.

"He had to have your phone bugged, or a spy in your office." Nick voiced the thought for her.

"Brass get some more security out here, and some people to sweep the area. If he's watching we're going to try to get him." He swung around to glare at Sara. "And you are going back to the lab. I don't want you out here and I don't want you alone."

Sara was already shaking her head. "I'm the one that knows this guy best. I know what to expect in there."

"Sara." Grissom growled warningly, exasperated with the defiant female.

"I have a question." The now calm Greg spoke up as he passed out the cups of coffee. Brass suppressed a smile as Grissom stomped around the porch in anger. "What happened to the baby?"

"What baby?" Grissom and Brass both turned to him in shock.

Greg looked at them self consciously. "The baby seat in the back of the car." He mumbled pointing to the victim's parked car.

"It's part of his MO." Sara spoke up. "He targets single mothers with young children."

"What does he do with the child?" Doc asked into the hushed silence.

"He puts them in the freezer." Sara swallowed hard. "In freezer bags."

As one the group turned towards her. She closed her eyes against the image that was imprinted on her brain. "He puts them in the blender first."

Coffee hit the payment as Greg doubled over and began retching.


	7. a different view

I am loving the new season. All the little moments between Sara and Grissom are great. New chapter finally up. A little darkness, a little humor. Hope you like it. Happy reading.

Darkest hour of the night, outside the crime scene

He was almost hugging the tree in front of him as he leaned forward, straining to take in the action that was unfolding at the crime scene. Three men, two of which had been there all night, were on the porch talking, their expressions guarded. He rubbed his hands together in sheer delight as the younger man held up a bag containing a small white card. His card. Excitedly he leaned forward, anxious to know what they were saying even as his mind wandered.

It had been a brilliant idea on his part to leave the card where he was assured they would find it. Now they were full of questions about on of their own, unsure if they could trust anyone. He almost danced in glee at the thought.

Bringing his attention back to the drama in front of him his face fell in disappointment as the newest member of the team grabbed the evidence bag and strode inside. He stared at the remaining two, trying to get a sense of what was going on as they sat quietly.

Anxious now, feeling as if he was going to miss a big part of the show he dug through the bag of supplies at his feet, grinning as he pulled out a small transmitter. They had no knowledge of the fact that he had placed several listening devices throughout the house in anticipation of this very situation.

Turning the transmitter to the right channel he picked up the heavy tread of footsteps echoing throughout the almost empty house. For a minute there was complete silence before a female voice spoke, sending shivers down his spine. He had known she was in the house of course but to finally hear her voice was like having confirmation of all his plans.

Concentrating with all his might he turned back to the conversation, not allowing himself the happiness he had acquired in outsmarting her once again. At least not yet.

"So do I need a lawyer?" He heard her ask through the small speaker. He choked on his laughter, causing the younger man on the porch to turn in his direction. Slinking back further into the trees he missed the older man's answer to her sarcastic question. Instead they seemed to be moving back through the house, the second footstep lighter, almost airy.

He leaned forward, risking exposure as he strained to see what was happening. Voices became raised and there was an increase in movement along the edge of porch. Shifting around a shrub he inched his way forward, not stopping until he was wedged behind a large rock, the last cover between him and the house.

Still desperate to see what was happening and now able to catch snatches of conversation he slipped over the top, flattening himself against the cool stone. Fleeting thoughts of rattlesnakes and scorpions crossed his mind but he quickly pushed them away.

Tilting his head he made out the words _Search the area_ as another car pulled in, sweeping the surrounding area with it's over bright headlights. Startled he flung himself off the rock, landing heavily on his left side. He flexed the joints in his arm as he cautiously peered around the rock, angered to see a young man getting out of the car carrying cups of coffee.

Making his way to the edge of the road and his car he looked back one last time. "This isn't over Sidle." He warned menacingly.

Mid morning

"You okay back there Greg?" Nick called from the driver's seat as he negotiated the morning rush hour traffic into the city.

The younger man swallowed hard as he tried to ignore the swishing sound coming from the containers piled high behind him. He knew that if he were to turn his head a couple inches he would come face to face with some grotesque body part.

He tried to breathe through his nose in an attempt to keep the nausea at bay, but unfortunately he was within smelling distance of the gastric contents that Nick had found in a spit cup in the bathroom. Feeling sweat form on his forehead he bent forward.

The sudden sound of his window lowering brought him upright with a snap. He raised questioning eyes to the other occupants of the car.

Nick shrugged as he met the younger man's gaze in the rear view mirror. "Figured it might help."

"Thanks man." He croaked as he leaned his head out the window, not caring if he looked like a dog.

Nick turned to grin at his new partner, needing the laughter to dispel some of the grimness form the night before. "Newbies." He said in a teasing tone. She shot him a look and scrunched down further in her seat.

He let out his breath at the uneasy silence that followed. "Don't suppose you want to talk about it?" He tried again. She shrugged as she turned to look out the window.

Greg pulled his head back in the car as he again met Nick's eyes in the rear view mirror. "It's been a rough night." He said unnecessarily.

Silence lapsed in the car for several minutes as Nick took various short cuts around the stopped traffic. Greg found his thoughts turning back to the containers sitting precariously behind him. "So tell me again why this stuff couldn't go in the coroner's van?"

Nick's lips twitched. "They took as much as they could but they were pretty full with the actual body we found."

Greg laughed outright. "I can't believe they're actually treating it as a real victim."

Even Sara let a smile escape as she remembered Grissom telling Doc Robbins that he had to do an autopsy on the dog they had found at the back of the house. "Evidence is Evidence."

"Do you think Grissom is going to be analyzing the fleas?" Greg asked as he flopped back in the seat, weak from laughter. His mirth died an instant later as the container immediately behind him tipped over until it was leaning against the back of his head.

He held his breath, not moving as he waited for something wet and slimy to slid down the back of his shirt.

Hearing a small squeak Sara turned around in her seat, her mouth opening at the sight in the back seat. "Uh Greg, it's sealed up tight." she told him, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Deciding he wanted to have a little fun Nick pulled sharply on the wheel causing the car to swerve into the next lane. As the container tumbled over the seat and into the younger man's lap Sara took the opportunity to flick water from her drink into the back seat.

"It's leaking, man its leaking." Greg shrieked, jumping out of the SUV the moment it stopped in the parking lot of the crime lab.

Laughing Nick grabbed his camera and slid out of the driver's seat as Brass and Grissom pulled up behind them.

Brass smirked at the spectacle in front of him. "Get a little too excited there junior?" He asked indicating the wet spots on the front of the other man's pants.

Greg felt his face turning red as he stuttered out an explanation.

Not amused Grissom climbed out of his own car and looked pointedly at the senior most member of his team. "It has been a long and terrible night. I doubt the best way to boost morale is to make fun of a teammate." He scolded, causing the two CSI's to look ashamed. Even Brass shifted his eyes from the red faced young man.

"Thank you Grissom." Greg said softly, as he scuffed his shoe in the pavement.

Grissom nodded absently as he walked past the little group and through the doors of the crime lab.

"Look man, I'm sorry about all that stuff in the van. You did a good job out there tonight." Nick offered with a small smile.

Greg nodded his head in appreciation of the words. "Ahh, do I still have to help carry that stuff in?"

"Nah, you go on in." Nick said fighting not to grin at the relief on his young friends's face.

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"Come on Lindsey. It's time to go." Catherine called as she gathered all her daughter's gifts. She turned to watch her daughter hop out of the bathroom.

"Do you have to go to work tonight?" Lindsey asked, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

"No baby, I'm home with you all week." she informed her daughter. "Come on, get your other shoe on. The nurse is going to be right in."

"Mama I wish you could stay home all the time." The little girl whined.

"I do too honey but then we wouldn't have a house to sleep in." Catherine pointed out.

"Well are you two ready?" A perky redhead asked as she wheeled a chair into the room.

Catherine groaned. "Mom what are you doing here?"

"Well I came to take my granddaughter home. I figured you would still be at work, what with that big murder down south." The older lady brushed off the question as she helped her granddaughter into the chair.

"You knew I took off work. I wouldn't leave my daughter at a time like this." Catherine argued.

"Why not, you have before." The mother replied as she wheeled the little girl out the door, leaving her daughter to stare after them in sadness.

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Waling into the lounge Grissom stopped to observe his team. Brass was pacing back and forth in font of the window, talking quietly on the phone. Greg, being back to his usual self was listening to his headphones and drumming along to the music on every available surface. Nick was searching through the refrigerator, smiling in victory as he produced a cold bottle of Gatorade.

Grissom shifted his focus to Sara, concerned to see her sitting at the table with her eyes downcast as she shredded a piece of paper. As he watched her his anger at the situation returned.

Noticing the CSI supervisor Brass ended his phone call. "The doc not coming?" He asked in that abrupt way of his. His question brought everyone's attention to Grissom.

He shook his head as he kept his eyes on Sara. "He said he would need more time with the bodies."

Feeling his gaze she looked up. "I'm not leaving Grissom." Sara said as she read the look in his eyes.

"You're at risk here." he argued, moving to stand in front of her.

"And I'm at risk in San Fransisco I've been dealing with this for four years now. You're a little late in trying to protect me."

His face darkened at her words. He quietly shut down his emotions before anyone saw his sadness. "It's my decision whether to pull you off a case and I'm making it."

"That's fine." She said standing up. "I'm in Vegas on my own time. I have no problem pursing the case on my own. Of course I will share anything I find with you." She finished, her tone mocking.

"Sara." Grissom said, his voice in the form of a warning.

"Wow now, why don't we just talk this through some more." Nick said consolingly.

"That's a good idea Nick." Brass said when Sara continued to stare at the older man mutinously. "How did you know this guy was targeting you in the first place?" he asked as he gently pushed her back down in her seat.

"The first crime scene was totally random." She started, lifting up the last syllable in the sentence, making her word almost like a question. "The next day there was a card waiting for me when I came in."

Nick leaned forward. "Like a business card?"

She shook her head. "A greeting card." She shrugged. "I didn't think anything about it at the time. Thought maybe it was from a jealous coworker."

"What did it say?" Brass asked when she didn't elaborate.

"Congratulations with your new case. Good luck with solving it. You're going to need it." She recited from memory.

"And that didn't strike you as odd?" He asked.

She shook her head, her glance sliding to Grissom's now blank face. "It was a big case and we're a competitive bunch."

"How many cards did you get?" Grissom asked conversationally.

She frowned at the older man's perceptiveness. "One a week over the three month investigation." She admitted grudgingly. "In the last one he was gloating, telling me he knew I wouldn't be able to find him and that he'd see me next time.

"How was he sure that you were going to be the one to take the second call." Nick asked frowning as he tried to put the pieces together.

"We had a bunch of calls all come in at the same time. Small stuff and a couple even turned out to be false alarms." She was quiet a moment. "He had to be close enough to know that I was last on the call out list."

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes. Looking at his watch Brass spoke up. "It's late and we're not going to get much more done today. I think we all need to go home and recharge." He looked pointedly at Grissom. "Maybe it'll give our emotions a chance to calm down."

Nick groaned as he stretched out his aching muscles. "I'm all for that." He said as stood up.

"Greg." Grissom spoke up as the younger man made to leave. "I'm going to need you back in the lab tonight."

Brass watched as the dna tech nodded his head and slipped out the door. "Sara, I'm going to have a car sitting outside the boarding house." he told her as he moved to the door. Cocking his head he turned back. "And no more walking to work." He warned.

Keeping her eyes downcast she gathered up her things and walked to the door. There she paused, giving Grissom a chance to stop her. Her shoulders drooped as the silence continued. Berating herself for her foolishness she continued out the door.


End file.
